Western powers fear that Russia could set up a military base in the Red Sea, which Sudan’s leaders have been talking about since al-Bashir’s era. Egypt, which backs the Sudanese military, is pursuing alternative routes with groups backing the 2021 coup.
The longer they fought in the streets of the city, the higher the number of civilian casualties and the more difficult it would be for any one general to control the ruins.
“This is an existential power struggle on both sides,” said Alan Boswell, Director of the Horn of Africa at the International Crisis Group, who also added that both sides saw the conflict as a game that was “absolutely pointless.”
